Budding Yeast Cell - Cryptococcus gattii

After much pressure, I decided to throw all dignity out with the virkon, and knit a budding Cryptococcus cell! Having spent many hours in a lab working with this organism, I felt I really ought to immortalise it in wool! This species of fungus is known for being beautifully and perfectly spherical, so the biggest challenge I found was to create a geometrically perfect mother cell. For this I used the Stockinette Short-Row Sphere by Brent Annable. You can find Brent's original pattern for this here: sphere-pattern


To make this cute (but deadly) pathogenic yeast, here's what you'll need:

• Some leftover wool (I used aran weight, in cream)
• A pair of standard needles to give a tight guage using your wool (I used 4.25mm)
• A set of four DPNs (same size as standard needles - 4.25mm)
• A darning needle
• Fibrefill stuffing
• Safety eyes or small black buttons for eyes
• Black cotton thread and a sewing needle 

Abbreviations
CO - Cast on
Sl - Slip stitch to right-hand needle
DPN - double pointed needle
KLL - knit a left loop increase
KRL - knit a right loop increase
K2tog - knit 2 stitches together

Pattern

For the Mother Cell:
CO 16 stitches using standard needles
Row 1: Sl 1 purlwise, K13, wrap next stitch, turn

Row 2: Sl 1 purlwise, P11, wrap next stitch, turn

Row 3: Sl 1 purlwise, K9, wrap next stitch, turn

Row 4: Sl 1 purlwise, P7, wrap next stitch, turn

Row 5: Sl 1 purlwise, K to end, knitting wraps with stitches

Row 6: Sl 1 purlwise, P to end, purling wraps with stitches

Repeat these six rows seven more times (eight times in total)

Cut the yarn to leave a long thread. Using the darning needle, thread the yarn tail through the 8 selvedge stitches of the side which the yarn tail is on. Pull these stitches tight to close the gap, to give something which looks a little bit like this:

 

NB, This is where the pattern gets a little different from Brent's original pattern!

Graft together the main body of the sphere using kitchener stitch, to connect the CO stitches to the stitches which are still on your needle. During this time, stuff your sphere with fibrefill stuffing, so that it's nice and plump (but not overstuffed!). DON'T tighten the selvedge stitches at the other end of the sphere! Your crypto mother cell should now look like this!

For the budding daughter cell:

Switch to DPNs and pick up 12 stitches around the open selvedge.

Connect your 12 stitches and continue in the round as follows:

Round 1: *K1, KLL, K4, KRL, K1, Repeat from * 2 times in total (16 stitches)

Round 2: *K1, KLL, K6, KRL, K1, Repeat from * 2 times in total (20 stitches)

Round 3: *K1, KLL, K8, KRL, K1, Repeat from * 2 times in total (24 stitches)

Round 4: K24
Stuff the daughter cell with stuffing at this point

Round 5: *K2, K2tog, K2, Repeat from * 4 times in total (20 stitches)

Round 6: *K2, K2tog, K1, Repeat from * 4 times in total (16 stitches)

Round 7: *K1, K2tog, K1, Repeat from * 4 times in total (12 stitches)
Add any extra necessary stuffing to the daughter cell

Round 8: *K2tog, Repeat from * 6 times in total (6 stitches)
Thread the wool tail through the 6 remaining stitches, pull together tightly and secure.

Finishing Off

Darn in any loose strands of wool


Sew the buttons on with black thread for eyes, et voilà!